Konnichiwa, minna-san! I know I've already finished the story, but I feel that it's still incomplete if Hakkai doesn't know what Goku and Gojyo wished for, right? This is just a short piece to show more of Hakkai's…not-that-good side.
This chapter's sort of an optional chapter. I don't intend to mess with the ending by writing this part. If you liked the ending as it is, then don't read this. If you want to find out how Hakkai reacted when he found out about the wish, please continue.
Please read and review, and thanks so much to all those who did!
Mind Readers: AN EPILOGUE
"Ne, Hakkai, how long till the next town?" Goku asked, whining loudly. "Need…food…will…die…"
"Shut up…" Gojyo said weakly. "It's bad enough that we're on an extremely bumpy road."
"Don't worry, Goku, we're getting there." Hakkai replied with his usual cheery smile.
They were back on the road, still heading to the west. The sun was still burning hot today, and Hakuryu was struggling to continue and lead them out of that vast and seemingly endless place, rocks strewn alongside the roads. Goku had already consumed half of the food supply meant to last for two weeks. Not that Hakkai expected it to last two weeks. In fact, it was already quite a miracle for the food to last even a week.
"Hurry up," Sanzo ordered Hakkai. "It's hot."
"Maa maa, we're nearly there," Hakkai repeated, breaking out into a smile. He turned his attention back to the steering wheel as the two behind him continued complaining about the heat. Hakkai himself was already burning up under the pressure, and their noise was almost already unbearable.
"Hot! It's too hot! And I'm hungry! Sanzo! I'm—gonna—die!"
"Urusai, bakasaru! It's best if you die!"
"Sanzo, how can you say that? Harahetta!"
"Just shut up! Hakkai, step on it, the monkey's about to die."
"Minna-san, I'm trying, but---"
"Why you dirty cockroach! Hakkai, the kappa's about to dry up!"
"Now, Goku, don't---"
"Aargh! LET GO OF ME YOU STUPID COCKROACH!"
"NOT UNTIL YOU TAKE THAT BACK!"
"I WON'T!"
"TAKE THAT BACK!"
"NO!"
"I SAID 'TAKE---' "
"URUSAI! SHI-NE!"
A single gunshot was heard in that vast space of nothingness. Goku immediately sat down properly, staring smugly at Gojyo who was glaring at him with those bloodred eyes. Sanzo lowered his shourejyu and put it back in his pocket.
Hakkai smiled a bit as the noise died down. He concentrated on getting them out of there as soon as possible, and he didn't want anyone to exhort him to push Hakuryu to the limit. Poor thing, he thought, Hakuryu hasn't eaten and he's not feeling well either…
"Hakkai."
"Yes, Sanzo?"
"Get us out of here. Fast."
Hakkai sighed, a vein threatening to throb from the side of his face. "I'll try."
"Don't just try, do it!" the blond monk muttered angrily.
"Hai hai."
Why can't they wait for it? I said we're nearly there, Hakkai thought to himself, an annoyed expression slowly forming on his face, which he immediately corrected and turned back to his normal self. He gripped the steering wheel tightly and, with a whispered apology to Hakuryu, stepped on the accelerator at full blast.
"Oi, Hakkai! Slow down!" Gojyo shouted, clinging on the side of the jeep, the force of the wind suddenly blowing against his face making him nearly fall out of the jeep again.
"Sumimasen, minna-san! This is the best way we can get out of here quickly!" Hakkai shouted back, his eyes narrowing as they focused on the road. "Hold on tight!"
The group readily obeyed him as Hakkai pushed the jeep on some more, Goku looking like he was about to throw up, and Sanzo still sitting emotionless as ever but one could see that his face had turned a bit paler than usual.
"There! I see some plain open space; that must be the village!" Hakkai shouted again, his voice drowned by the ferocious howling of the wind hurtling past them. "We're almost there! Wait…oh no…"
Hakkai turned pale and quickly slammed—hard—on the brakes. The sudden change in speed was too much for Goku and Gojyo to handle. Goku stumbled forward and landed down on the ground painfully. Gojyo was unluckier; he was thrown forward with great force that he skidded inches before finally coming to a halt.
Sanzo was no better. Much to the high-ranked monk's dismay (and complete and utter humiliation), he earned the same fate as Goku, though not quite as noisy. He landed on the ground with a soft thump. His purple eyes were looking dangerous now, and certainly very deadly.
"What was that for, Hakkai?" he spat, trying to keep his cool. He always tried to talk decently with the brown-haired youkai, and today was no exception.
"Well…" Hakkai began, shifting uncomfortably in his seat (he was the only one who remained in the jeep.). He was not sure how he could say it without flaring Sanzo's already volcanic temper. "You should've worn your seatbelt, I keep telling you to…"
"That's not the point," Sanzo replied.
"Well, there's a cliff, you see…" Hakkai answered weakly, gesturing towards their front. Sanzo looked down. There was a river just below them, and on the other side of the bank was a small village.
"So we'd have to go down and reach the other end?" Sanzo asked coldly.
"It seems so," Hakkai replied, ignoring Sanzo's tone of voice. "Well, I think we can make it, it's not too far down."
"Itai yo!" Goku moaned, standing up slowly, a hand grasping his right arm. "Hakkai, I think I've broken something, look."
"That's nothing," Gojyo retorted, standing up beside Goku and showing him his right arm, which was bleeding badly. "See?"
"Maa maa, minna-san, let's just sort this peacefully now, shall we?" Hakkai said slowly, trying his best to calm them down.
"But this is too much! We wouldn't have been thrown out if it wasn't for your incessant whining, you stupid bakasaru!" Gojyo yelled, pointing accusingly at Goku.
"Whaat? It was your fault in the first place! You were pushing Hakkai too far!" Goku replied angrily, death-glaring Gojyo.
"I didn't! It was Sanzo!" Gojyo answered, now pointing at the dumbstruck monk slowly getting to his feet. "He was saying, 'Get us out of here, or else' or something like that. It was his fault!"
Sanzo glared at the two of them angrily, his amethyst eyes flashing dangerously. "And you blame me for your own stupidity? Everything was your fault! We would have been in the next town already if you two didn't make that stupid wish!"
Hakkai stared at the three of them. "What wish?"
"The wish!" Goku sputtered, flailing his arms wildly, at a loss for words. "The one where we wished we could read your mind for a week!"
"If you didn't go and make that stupid wish, we wouldn't have been delayed unnecessarily!" Sanzo replied harshly, glaring at Gojyo.
"But if I didn't make that wish Hakkai would have been in danger!" Gojyo said defensively, looking at Goku for support. "Then he wouldn't have been here, standing next to us and—and…oh…"
Gojyo gulped. Beside him Goku suddenly realized what they had done. Sanzo turned a bit pale but tried to hide it all the same. They all looked at Hakkai.
Hakkai had his back turned away from them, staring out at the west. It was quiet for a few minutes.
Finally Goku broke the silence.
"Ehm…Hakkai, you're not mad, are you?"
The green-eyed youkai turned his head to face Goku when he spoke. "Oh no, not at all." He flashed them a smile.
Gojyo turned paler at this. Oh no. He's mad. I don't like that smile. And his monocle's flashing dangerously. I. Don't. Like. This.
"It was for your own good, you know," Gojyo said carefully, not daring to steal a glance at Hakkai, who was silently climbing back on the jeep.
"I thought so." Hakkai said casually, turning on Hakuryu's engine.
"Well then," Gojyo added hastily, trying to steer the conversation far away from Hakkai as much as possible, "I think we can jump this cliff. It's not too far down, and there's a river below, we could land in it safely." He looked over the side of the cliff as he spoke.
"I guess you're right." Click.
"Yeah, I—OI!"
Suddenly something metallic and green shot past Gojyo, who was teetering off the edge of the cliff, nearly knocking him down. He shouted, flailing his arms wildly, before finally regaining his balance and collapsing down on the ground.
"What was that?" he shouted, breathing heavily. He stared at Goku's dumbstruck face, then at Sanzo. Finally he looked around for Hakkai.
"Hakkai?"
Hakkai gripped the steering wheel tightly, his eyes flashing dangerously. He backed the jeep into the clearing and stopped.
"What were you trying to do? Run me off the cliff?" Gojyo demanded, getting to his feet. Beside him Goku stood wordlessly, Sanzo still expressionless.
Hakkai didn't answer. He avoided the others' gazes as his eyes focused on the cliff before him.
"Well? It's lucky you avoided me!" Gojyo said.
Hakkai looked up at him and flashed an almost apologetic smile. He gripped the wheel tightly again as he shifted gear.
"Let's try harder, shall we?"
He stepped on the accelerator just as Gojyo was yelling for him to stop and Goku was wide-eyed. Before they knew it he rammed straight into the cliff, the others jumping in time to avoid the massive green jeep hurtling towards them.
Unfortunately, since they were all panic-stricken, they accidentally jumped right into the cliff.
"Hakkai!"
It happened slowly. Hakkai saw the panicked looks on his companions' faces, dead serious they were, and he couldn't help but laugh. He took one hand off the steering wheel, grabbed Gojyo by the collar, and dropped him in the back seat. Then he urged Hakuryu to swerve to the right (in midair!) and in landed Goku and Sanzo.
Finally Hakuryu landed on solid ground, bouncing up wildly before it finally maintained its pace. Hakkai slowed down to a halt and turned to look behind him. He nearly laughed.
Sanzo was lying in between Goku and Gojyo, with an expression that clearly spelled death to anyone who dared to see him in that manner. He immediately glared at Hakkai, who was already immune to it, so it didn't really work on him. Goku was whining incessantly, pushing himself to the side, and Gojyo was looking extremely sick.
"What was that for, Hakkai?" Gojyo thundered, furious at a cheerful-looking Hakkai. "You nearly killed us!"
"Nothing," Hakkai laughed, watching Sanzo furiously stomping off to his own seat. "I just felt like it."
Smiling, he turned back to the road and hit the accelerator, his eyes twinkling as he drove.
Don't underestimate me.
They went off at full speed, staring at another new sunset as they went.
Towards the west.
Finally! This story is now officially complete. I might take a break from doing fics for a while; I'm having a hard time thinking of good plots. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one. I just felt Hakkai should be a little mean sometimes, and this is just a revision of what I originally planned! I actually considered Hakkai running them over enough for the others to spend days in the hospital, but I thought that's probably too much, ne?
Thanks so much for supporting my story. Hope to hear from you soon!
In Nomine Domini Nostri Jesu Christi
In the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Mind Readers: Epilogue by midori hakkai
Year 2005
END